1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a two-dimensional electrophoresis apparatus, more particularly to a two-dimensional electrophoresis apparatus wherein an electrophoresis unit comprising an electrophoresis medium enclosed between two plates is disposed vertically in the electrophoresis apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The apparatus according to the invention has been developed particularly for two-dimensional electrophoresis in the case of DNA characterization (U.S. Pat. No. 5.068.167) but can also be used for two-dimensional electrophoresis of proteins (O'Farrell, PH et al., Journal Biological Chemistry, 250, pp 4007-4021 (1975)). In principle the two-dimensional electrophoresis apparatus according to the invention is suitable for electrophoresis of all kinds of charged materials.
At the moment two-dimensional electrophoresis is for instance applied in genetic studies in which frequently large numbers of samples of individuals must be subjected to electrophoresis under identical conditions. The known two-dimensional electrophoresis of DNA comprises electrophoresis in the first dimension in a gel, whereafter the different gel strips are cut out and placed on a gel for electrophoresis in the second dimension. This procedure is labour-intensive and requires highly trained personnel. Moreover, as a result of the various treatments, artefacts occur (for instance due to stretching or breaking of the gel) which results in a decrease in the reproducibility of the obtained separation patterns.
The present invention has for its object to provide a two-dimensional electrophoresis apparatus which substantially does not have the above stated drawbacks and with which large numbers or electrophoreses of different samples can moreover be performed simultaneously under substantially identical conditions, while handling or preparing of the electrophoresis medium between the first and second dimension electrophoresis is substantially wholly avoided. A substantially horizontal disposition of the electrophoresis unit in the electrophoresis apparatus is furthermore dispensed with since a vertically disposed electrophoresis unit can be sampled more conveniently. It is nevertheless possible according to the invention to leave the construction of the apparatus as simple as possible.